ALTANA announced the grand opening of its BYK USA Inc. expanded facility in Wallingford, CT. With this state-of-the-art plant, BYK more than doubles production capacity in the U.S. and increases worldwide supply chain security for its additives.

The expansion project represents a $50 million investment from ALTANA, the largest single investment the Group has made outside of Germany.

“Today marks a very important moment in ALTANA’s growth strategy,” said Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, CEO, ALTANA AG. “With this expanded facility we will accelerate our growth in North America.”

Currently, ALTANA operates eight subsidiaries, 18 production facilities and 19 laboratories in the U.S. With more than 1,000 employees here, the company generated sales of around €290 million, or 16% of its entire global business, in 2013.

“This expansion enables us to efficiently service our U.S. customers with an enhanced portfolio of BYK additives manufactured in a facility built to the highest standards of safety,” said Dirk Plas, president, BYK USA Inc. “We are fully committed to investing in our customers’ future and to growing our business.”